No Take Backs: Fun Music With A Deeper Meaning

Ann Schlottman
12 minutes ago
8 min read

Written by: Annie Schlottman Photo credits: Joe Booth, Donna Rose, Margo Hibbard, Paige Downing, Myles Taylor, William Shoemaker, Mikayla Geffert

Music fans feel a special connection to certain bands. Whether it be because of the music they put out, the personalities of the band members, the message the band is trying to convey – it can be any combination of those things. Sometimes, you come across a band that makes an impact in all of these areas. For me, one of those bands is No Take Backs.

I don’t actually fully recall how I got connected with No Take Backs. I became Facebook friends with their lead vocalist, Tyler Dibble, sometime last year, most likely through mutual acquaintances in our local music scene. I’ve been lucky enough to get to know Tyler well, and we’ve actually become very good friends. I’m honestly just a big fan of his, as both a musician and as a person.

What I do remember is when I first started listening to No Take Backs, I was deeply moved. Their songs are real, authentic, and written from the heart. They make you feel like no matter what you’re going through in your life, there are people who understand and care because they either are or have been in similar situations. At the same time, it’s fun and energetic music that makes you happy when you listen to it.

The latest offering from No Take Backs is a new single called “ICantWaitForSkate4”, which dropped Friday, June 26th along with a super cool music video that ties in with the song title. The new release came with a big announcement about the future of this band that has a very bright future ahead. I’ll talk more about the song, video, and announcement a little later in this story.

No Take Backs, from Montrose, Pennsylvania, includes Tyler Dibble (vocals, guitar); Reese Matincheck (guitar); and Tristin Gray (drums). The band’s style is primarily pop punk, with elements of EMO and post-hardcore mixed in. There’s really a little something for anyone who likes fun, energetic music that also shares a deeper underlying message.

When Tyler was in high school he played guitar and wrote lyrics for a metal band with his friends that they named Eyes Unclouded. His first pop punk band was Brighter Days, and in between that ending and him starting No Take Backs he was lucky enough to fill in on bass for 20 SomeThing out of Rochester, New York before that band broke up. Tyler also played guitar in a New Jersey punk band called Don’t Bite Your Tongue for an extremely short period of time.

No Take Backs initially started in 2019 from the remnants of Brighter Days. Tyler took the best songs from that period and re-released them under the new name No Take Backs. He enlisted the help of some friends at the time, but COVID happened, so it all kind of fell apart.

During COVID the band went through two lineups of fill-ins, until Tyler took a year off to focus on his mental health. He then started to play shows again, doing acoustic performances, thanks to a really close friend and girlfriend at the time who encouraged him to get back to his passion.

Eventually, Tyler asked an old member of Brighter Days to join him, and he found Reese through a Facebook post. “He kind of annoyed his way into the band,” Tyler joked about Reese. But at the same time he said, “it was definitely meant to be.” Reese is now not only one of his bandmates, but also one of his best friends. They had a different drummer who didn’t work out, and they found Tristin. He was originally just supposed to be a fill-in, but he then expressed an interest in fully joining the band, so it worked out perfectly. That’s how the current lineup of No Take Backs came to be.

The band’s name, No Take Backs, originated from a quick funny thing Tyler would say after a corny joke back during the Brighter Days era. But there’s a deeper meaning behind it.

Tyler shared, “To me, No Take Backs means no more focusing on the mistakes of my teenage years and my early twenties. In short, it means moving forward towards a better future.”

When it comes to songwriting, Tyler initially writes everything from instrumentals to lyrics. Occasionally if he can’t think of a lead guitar part he’ll have Reese write one. More and more lately, they’ve been trying to involve everyone, so Tyler will write only rhythm and demo drums then have Reese write lead and bass while Tristin tweaks the drums to his style.

The process kind of differs depending on the song they’re working on at the time. Some are very old school, with Tyler sitting down with an acoustic guitar and singing some lines to himself over and over while he strums a melody. Other times he’ll write instrumentals and just throw his raw emotions into the mix for lyrics.

In the past, friends like Tyler’s buddy Eli Rude have contributed ideas for guitar. Matthew Jenkins and Tyler used to do a lot of songwriting together. After Tyler had the basics done for the song, Matthew would help him figure out production. Tyler told me Matthew taught him a lot without really knowing it, and he’s super grateful for those times.

Since the beginning of No Take Backs, Tyler has only worked with two producers. Matthew Jenkins was the most predominant in early No Take Backs music. Recently, the band has worked with Eric Novroski of Novro Studios, who has helped them develop fresh new sounds fitting the direction they feel they want to move in as a band. Eric recorded, produced, mixed, and mastered “ICantWaitForSkate4”.

As I mentioned earlier in this story, fans of No Take Backs connect with the band’s music on a personal level. Tyler is very open about his struggles with mental health, and he understands how his music can really help other people who are fighting their own internal battles. I asked Tyler if it’s helpful for him to share his feelings through his songs, and also knowing how much of an impact it has on other people.

Tyler told me, “I would say, yes, I find it incredibly helpful to share my feelings through music. My songs are part of my story. They’re about things I have been through and my deepest thoughts related to those situations.”

He continued, “I always think it’s amazing when people tell me they can relate to my music or how it has helped them. It’s very humbling. I think it’s important to speak out so others know they are not alone.”

The latest No Take Backs single, “ICantWaitForSkate4”, is the whole package. It’s fun and energetic, but when you really listen to the lyrics, you hear the story Tyler is trying to tell with the song.

He explained, “The song is about a breakup, but it goes deeper than that. It is about the feeling of the back and forth you get in your gut and brain when dealing with a modern-day situationship in which you truly idolize the other person no matter what is happening. You’re giving yourself but getting little in return.”

Tyler shared that at the same time, this person was also one of the biggest supporters in terms of his music and his mental health. So it wasn’t all bad. Hence the uplifting vibe at the end of the song. In every bad day there is a silver lining. You just have to find it.

This positive outlook is reflected in the lyrics: “Hold your head up higher Give yourself some grace If the stars refuse to shine Know that they will come again”

The song closes with the continued message of hopefulness: “Give it some time Life has a way Of working itself out You’ll be okay”

Why the song title, “ICantWaitForSkate4”? It has to do with a couple different things. When Tyler was writing the song, he was not-so-patiently waiting for the release of the game. He admitted he was getting more and more intense waiting for it because it was taking so long. At the same time, he was thinking he would never get a chance with this girl again. Two separate situations, but the word “tension” at the beginning of the song kind of ties it all together. Tyler chose the song title because he still wanted to keep it fun and not too serious.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukxQjE8N_Vg

The music video was filmed, directed, and edited by Joe Booth of JAB Media Productions. They filmed it at what used to be a local skate park. Tyler grew up being a skater, so he used to love watching old skate videos. He sort of wanted to combine his two interests for the video, skateboarding and music. When planning the video, he referenced some old skate clips he wanted the vibe to be similar to.

No Take Backs got a bunch of their friends to come out and be a part of the video and from what I’ve seen it looks like everyone had a blast. Fans and supporters of bands always love being involved so closely in projects like this and really feeling like they’re a part of what the band is doing. The skaters in the video are Chester Godfrey (K Wizard Skateboards), Brandyn “NUBZ” Kessler (Nubz Merch), and Rob George (Paper Fox band).

Recently, No Take Backs made a couple big announcements that will have a major impact on the future of the band. At the end of April, the band shared that they had joined forces with Platinum Standard Music Group (PSMG) and would be managed by Jesse James Smith and Zacky Bee. The other big announcement, which coincided with the release of “ICantWaitForSkate4”, was that No Take Backs has signed a record deal with Ghost Killer Entertainment. The future is bright for No Take Backs. With an amazing team behind them, we can expect a lot more new music to come as well as a lot of live performances.

Back on April 23rd, I made a somewhat last-minute decision to go see No Take Backs perform at Union Vapors, a small, fun venue in Dickson City, Pennsylvania, just north of Scranton. I had actually just found out a few days prior that the band had a show. The other two bands performing that night were Have Fun! From Massachusetts and a local band called Delaware Ave. I’d been wanting to see No Take Backs for a while, and thought it would be fun to go to the show.

So I drove two hours north up the PA Turnpike and met up with my friend Jo to go see the show. We had a wonderful time! It was one of those nights when I knew I was where I needed to be with the people I needed to be with. I met a lot of new friends and got to meet Tyler, Reese, and Tristin for the first time. They made me and Jo feel like family. It was a very special times I’ll never forget. The music, the people, the feeling of being where you belonged – it was all just perfect!

With all the excitement going on with No Take Backs, make sure to follow this awesome band to keep up with new music, shows, and other cool stuff. As Tyler said, “Don’t forget to follow us on Spotify, Apple Music, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Linktree. Stream our music anywhere you can! Watch our video on our YouTube channel as well as featured on Ghost Killer Entertainment!”